Photography by Cynthia Mackowick – Traun

Category Archives: Bed & Breakfast

After our trip touring the countryside in Wisconsin for round barns last April, we decided to contact a local Bed and Breakfast, which just happens to be called The Round Barn. Robin and Elaine Kleffman, owners of the The Round Barn Bed and Breakfast and restored round barn, were gracious enough to give us a private tour of the facilities.

I could not say enough of the hospitality of the owners and the history involved with astonishing example of architecture. The round barn was originally built in 1915 by Henry and Mary Dammon for their dairy cattle, and subsequently used as a honey processing facility by Earl and Retha Griffith. The barn has been renovated and is used for wedding receptions, dances, parties and reunions.

The house was built on a design from 1861 by architect Samuel Sloan and is beyond beautiful. The charm of the place shines as you drive onto the property and you are filled with tranquility as you step out of your car. I still would like to taste Robin’s award winning bread as he pulls it from the wood-fired hearth bread oven.

Our destination… The Jailhouse Inn located in Preston, MN. Construction of the old Fillmore County Jail commenced shortly after February, 1869; the jail building housed the county jail, sheriff’s office and residence, and courtrooms from 1870 to 1970. Restoration of the old jailhouse resulted in a very unique B & B, The Jailhouse Inn. The last room completed for lodging at The Jailhouse Inn, the Drunk Tank, was completed in mid-1993. If only those walls could talk huh?!

We stayed, played, and drank wine that night. In the morning it was an early rise for delicious coffee and a mouth-watering breakfast. Then back to the room to grab our camera’s to photograph interesting objects in and around the historical Jailhouse Inn.

Time to move on out and we were pointed in the right direction. Okay- Dan and I really do not follow directions that much as each turn we take while out back-roading have led us to some intriguing places. We made our way back home and a trip that should only take us 1.5-2 hours will usually take a good portion of the day.

Fillmore County in southeastern MN is a stunning locale and we have returned many times since. The scenery is part of the Driftless Area and is known mainly for the deeply carved river valleys due to the lack of glacial drift. The Driftless Area includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois and is quite the site to feast your eyes upon. From the beautiful views you see high on top of the bluff’s that surround this area, to buildings in ruins, to cemeteries hidden in the middle of no where… Even with my leaky faucet for a nose, we had a wonderful and eventful trip.